The World as We Know It
by Akayla's Pierced Heart
Summary: Side story in the Gibbs/Brynn arc. Just wanted to do an end of the world fic. After a meteor shower leaves earth in ruins, Gibbs and co. must cope with survival. Rated for later violence and some content. Gibbs/Brynn, Tony/Tim, Ziva/Damon Werth
1. Chapter 1

"It's the end of the world as we know it. And I feel fiiiiiiine!"

"Tony!" Ziva couldn't hold back any longer. "I am begging you, stop singing!"

"Never thought I'd hear you beg me for any- Oooh!" Tony was cut off by a swift head-slap from the impatient man in the passenger seat. "Sorry, Gibbs." He looked in the rearview mirror just in time to see Ziva and Damon exchange a high five. His eyes narrowed before returning to the road in front of him. Or what was left of the road.

The barren landscape so far had reminded Tony of the movie 'The Road Warrior.' Of course, he knew if he said that out loud, he'd risk receiving another head-slap. And those had gotten harder than usual lately. The further west they traveled, things went from ashen black, to desert brown, and finally, some semblance of forest green.

It really was the end of the world. Or pretty close, at least. It had all gone down just over four months ago. The highest chairs of government around the world had known what was coming for weeks. It had trickled down to a few lower chairs, one being Leon Vance, but by then it was too late to do anything. A meteor shower was headed for earth. Some scientists predicted that the meteors would range from the size of a small car, to the size of half a city block. The predictions stated that the entire shower could last up to two days… It had actually lasted five days. The entire planet had been affected. Over night, empires crumbled and civilization became nearly non-existent. The mass hysteria had taken more lives than the meteors did.

Vance had done what he could to warn as many people as possible. He was only given a two day heads up by Sec-Nav. Then he and his family disappeared. By the time Gibbs and his team were told, everyone was scattered. It was the winter Chris turned four. Brynn and Chris had gone to Brynn's uncle's for Christmas. Gibbs was set to join them in a few days. Then all hell broke lose. Before the meteors took out all the satellites, cutting most communication, Brynn had gotten a message to Gibbs. Ian was taking her and Chris to Fort Carson. There were several abandoned missile silos in the area that would provide perfect cover. And Fort Carson seemed the safest bet to protect them from marauders in the aftermath.

At the same time, Ziva was on her honeymoon with Damon Werth. Damon had taken her to Orlando for a week. From headquarters at the Navy yard, Gibbs was able to warn them about what was coming. Once the shower stopped, Ziva was able to find an old C.B. and get word to Gibbs that she was alive and headed back to D.C. Gibbs wanted nothing more than to take off and find his family, but after already losing so many people, he opted to wait for Ziva's return before leaving.

With Ziva gone, Gibbs still had to worry about Tony, McGee, and Abby. Poor Ducky and his assistant Jimmy Palmer had been lost in the post meteor shower hysteria. Being two of the few people left in D.C. with medical experience, they were constantly out in the mess trying to help people. They both went out one day and were never seen again. It was just after that when Gibbs sent McGee and Abby on ahead to Colorado. The two of them left with a group of refugees on a military transport plane. It was the last one to leave D.C. They had strict instructions to find Gibbs' family and not let them out of their sights. McGee and Tony had not been happy to be separated, but the greater good called for actions, not complaints.

The wait for Ziva had cost Gibbs almost a month. By the time she got to him, he had gathered as many supplies as he could for the very long trip ahead of them. With all the detours they had to take, Gibbs was starting to think he may never get to his family. Half-way through Illinois, their three vehicle caravan had been ambushed. The group barely got away alive, but had to leave behind the truck loaded with their supplies. The need to constantly stop for more supplies and redirect their route because of the craters left behind, and the risk of being followed by the wrong people, made the journey even harder.

When they finally did reach Fort Carson, Gibbs felt his heart shatter. There was nothing there. Literally, nothing. The buildings had all been smashed or burned down. All the vehicles were gone. The fencing surrounding the fort had even been torn down. It was Tony who found the message Brynn had left for them. Just outside the main gate there was a huge sign warning any visitors to check in with security. Spray painted in bold glittery gold lettering were two words: **GIBBS HONEYMOON.**

Gibbs immediately knew what it meant. He and Brynn had spent their honeymoon in a cabin at the Rocky Mountain National Park. It had been Ian's wedding gift to them. That's where Brynn was now. Hopefully, everyone else was with her.

Now, Tony was maneuvering through the rough mountain roads in their seventh vehicle, a small jeep with no roof. The jeep had a cassette player (radios had stopped transmitting months ago) but Gibbs had made it clear that the jeep's battery was not to be wasted on such a frivolous thing as music. So it was up to Tony to entertain himself. This of course, had resulted in more than a few head-slaps and glares. The closer they got to Estes Park, the more antsy and uncontrollable Tony became. Gibbs had just about reached his breaking point with the younger man.

"Gibbs." Gibbs' eyes didn't come up from the map he was staring at. He smirked a little at Tony using his name. It had taken this long to get Tony to stop calling him 'boss.' He wasn't anyone's boss anymore.

"Yeah, Tony?" His mood wasn't quite as annoyed as his voice sounded. Tony didn't need to know that.

"Up ahead." Gibbs looked up. He squinted at the grimy windshield and made his eyes focus. There was a gas station just in front of them. "We could use a fill up." As they got closer, they could see activity in the parking lot of the small station. Several motorcycles were parked around the building. Tony pulled to the side of the road and parked. They'd had bad experiences before when stopping for gas. Gibbs and Tony each grabbed a rifle and a pistol. Tony turned and looked at Ziva. She nodded, pulling her own rifle close. Tony grabbed a backpack and slung it over one shoulder. Damon turned to hand Gibbs the empty gas can from the back. Tony adjusted his aviator sunglasses as he and Gibbs made their way to the station.

No one made any attempt to stop them from entering the station. They got several stares but no one said a word. This could be either good or very bad…

"I make eight." Tony muttered to Gibbs. He just nodded back before opening the door. There were two more men inside the building. One was behind the counter on a stool. The other stood just beside the door, holding an automatic rifle. Tony's first impulse was to check his pistol. He held off when Gibbs shot him a look. "Afternoon." Tony greeted the dirty man behind the counter.

"Afternoon." The man said back. Tony couldn't tell if he sounded slow, or just bored.

"Got any gas for trade?" Tony pushed his sunglasses up and let them rest above his forehead.

"May have. What do you have to trade?" Tony set the backpack on the counter. The man by the door stepped forward. Slow guy behind the counter held up his hand.

"I'm just gonna open the bag." Tony held up his hands. After a nod from slow guy, Tony carefully unzipped the bag and pulled out six cans of soup.

"That all you got?" Tony went deeper into the pack and pulled out a box that contained eight bars of Ivory soap. The other man's eyes went wide.

"What will all this get me?"

"You can fill that gas can. No more." He pointed to the gas can Gibbs still held.

"Fair enough." Gibbs finally spoke. Slow guy flipped a switch.

"Fill up and leave." With that, Tony and Gibbs headed for the door. Just as they reached the door, Gibbs stopped. He suddenly changed direction and went to the back wall of the station. "Hey," Slow guy yelled. "What are you doing?" Gibbs whipped around and faced the man. Tony caught sight of the expression on Gibbs' face and his own face twisted in surprise.

"Was that here when you got here?" Gibbs' voice was desperate. He pointed at the back wall of the station. Tony looked where Gibbs pointed and his mouth dropped open. The shelves had long ago been cleared out. Someone had written on the back wall with a black marker.

"Yeah. So what?" Slow guy answered.

"How long ago was that?" Tony finally tore his eyes from the wall and asked.

"Been a while. Look, just get your gas and leave!" Gibbs sent one more look at the wall and he and Tony walked out. The message was burned into his mind.

**Brynnie Bear and Baby Bear were here.**

Just below that…

**So were Abbs and Probie.**

NCIS

The next day…

The only passable road leading to the west side of the Rocky Mountain National Park led Gibbs and his group to a very long bridge. They stopped and parked before driving onto the bridge. Below them, the river that Gibbs remembered he and Brynn rafting on, was still rushing steadily. It had been a while since any of them had seen a steady river. Most of them had either dried up, or been turned into standing lakes because of the craters. The sound of the rushing water was almost deafening. Looking out across the bridge, Tony was surprised by the untouched forest. It was almost as if the meteor shower missed a spot in Colorado.

Using their only pair of binoculars, Gibbs set the sights on the other side of the bridge. He could clearly see two pick up trucks blocking the road just past the bridge. He counted nine men and two women gathered around the trucks. They were all armed. There were two ATVs sitting off to the side. One of the men took out a pair of binoculars and looked right back at Gibbs. Gibbs held his hand up, palm out. The other man did the same.

"Let's go." Gibbs barked. Everyone got into the jeep and Tony started it up.

"You think they're gonna shoot us on the spot?" Tony asked.

"Might not be a bad idea to put the guns away." Ziva did not like this idea, but she did as Gibbs said. Her hand rested on the knife concealed under her shirt.

"They don't look happy to see us." Tony remarked as they got closer. Gibbs' eyes scanned the group and counted the number of guns aimed at the jeep.

"Just be cool. They're probably just as jumpy as we are." Damon said, also taking count of the guns aimed at them.

"That's close enough!" One of the men shouted into a megaphone. Tony hit the brakes and put the jeep in park. The front wheels had barely made it off the bridge. "Cut the engine!" Tony did as he was told. Gibbs held up both hands as he climbed out of the jeep. He could hear the others exiting the jeep and hoped they were following his example. Once he was close enough to be heard, Gibbs called out to them.

"We don't want any trouble. We're just looking for our family."

"If you don't want any trouble, I suggest you get back in that jeep and drive away." The man set the megaphone down and held up a shotgun.

"Look, I know my family is here, if you would just." The tell-tale sound of a shotgun cocking made Gibbs stop.

"No one gets through here! Now, leave or we will fire!"

"Please just!" Gibbs rushed forward. Tony jumped to try and grab him.

"Gibbs, wait!" Tony yelled, trying to get him to stop.

All at once, every gun pointed at them was lowered. Gibbs and Tony looked at each other, then back at the group in front of them.

"Did you just say… Gibbs?" Another of the men stepped forward and asked.

"Yes, my name is Gibbs. Leroy Jethro Gibbs, from Washington D.C. My wife is."

"Brynn?" The man cut him off.

"Yes!" Gibbs answered excitedly. "And my son is Chris!" The man looked at Gibbs for two seconds and broke into a grin.

"Well, I'm damn glad I didn't shoot you. Brynn would have my head on a spike!"

"He _does_ know Brynnie." Tony leaned over and whispered.

NCIS

Tim McGee had just gone into his tent for a water canteen when he heard an ATV roaring up the main road. He had just had lunch and was feeling good for the most part. His left leg still stung, just above his knee. But the pain was more bearable than it had been yesterday. That was always a good sign.

When he and Abby had first come to the park, they had stayed with Brynn and Chris in the tiny two room cabin at the end of what was called the bluff trail. He wasn't sure why it was called that, until he hiked all the way to the end of it. It literally ended at a bluff with a twenty feet drop. The cabin was only a hundred yards from the steep drop off. Ian and his two sons had taken one room. Brynn and Chris had taken the other. So McGee and Abby had to contend with the living room.

Once the weather turned warm, McGee decided to get a little privacy and pitched a big tent in a clearing just behind the ranger station. He liked being closer to the main part of the park. Brynn's cabin was almost half a mile away. Abby moved herself into the Lodge, the three story hotel on the main road. She turned the old back office into her new happy abode. The rest of the Lodge was pretty full save for a few rooms on the first floor that were also storage. There were two more smaller hotels further down the road. Both were now missing their roofs. Two crews were working in shifts to rebuild them. With the recent increase in population, they would need the extra shelter when winter hit again.

What was once the gift shop and general store was now used for storing supplies. The ranger station was where most of the guns and ammo that weren't being used were locked away. There was an office, two jail cells (that had yet to be used) and a smaller room for storage. The office held the only C.B. in the entire park that still worked. The ranger station also housed the small emergency clinic. It was really just a big room with some hospital equipment and four beds. Only one of which was currently occupied. There were two main diners that were still standing. One had been turned into a sort of schoolhouse/daycare run by two women who were former teachers.

The other diner was used for cooking and serving all the meals. Everyone ate three times a day. Clean water was plentiful with all the natural springs around, but no one wanted to take a chance of running out, so it was also rationed out equally at meal times. Rainwater was collected in drums for bathing and laundry. The rain had been good to them once spring hit. The whole set up was fairly organized. There was no set leader, everyone had a vote in every decision. Supply runs had gone out regularly at first, but as time went on, they found most of what they needed in the forest around them.

After rummaging around in his tent… It was a huge orange and yellow monstrosity that could house an entire family. Yes, even with the fall of civilized society, Timmy still needed his space…. McGee finally found his canteen. He had filled it earlier that day and was now on his way to relieve the western most patrol.

"McGee!" He heard Danny Marsen yell his name. There were five other Tims at the park, so they all just opted to go by their last names. McGee was already used to this, so there wasn't as much of an adjustment for him.

"Yeah?" He called back, limping out of his tent. He grunted back the pain.

"You'll never believe this!" Danny ran up to him and grabbed his shoulder. McGee's eyebrows came up.

"I might if you tell me." McGee smiled. He had come to really like and respect Danny in the last couple of months. He had been a park ranger before the shower hit. Having someone who knew the land around them as well as Danny, had been more valuable than all the supplies they brought in from the outside. McGee didn't take much notice of Danny when he had first come here. But then Danny took a shine to Abby and suddenly McGee zeroed in on him. He took Danny aside one day and gave him the big brother threat-speech. Once McGee saw how well he treated Abby, he started to lay off the brother-bear routine. Besides, Abby was a big girl who knew how to take care of herself.

"Follow me, man." Danny spun on his heel and beckoned McGee. They rounded the ranger station and stepped onto the main road. McGee saw an unfamiliar jeep sitting just in front of the Lodge. He could hear Abby squealing and tried to walk a little faster towards the group that had gathered around the jeep.

"Abby?" He called out. "What's going on?" Several heads turned towards him, but his focus was only on the pale face flanked by two black pigtails.

"Tim?" McGee stopped in his tracks. He shifted his gaze to Abby's left and caught sight of the same dark green eyes that haunted his dreams every night.

"Tony?" He almost couldn't believe what his own eyes were currently gawking at. Then all at once, his arms were full as Tony tackle-hugged him. McGee held Tony so tightly he made the man grunt.

"Oooh, too tight, man."

"Sorry…" McGee loosened his grip but still held Tony's waist.

"Ease up there, big man. Other people wanna say hi." McGee looked back at the group. His canteen fell to the ground when he saw Ziva and Damon. He rushed over, ignoring the stabbing pain shooting up his leg, and wrapped them both in a big hug.

"Oh my God, I'm so glad to see you guys!"

"We are happy to see you, McGee." Ziva hugged him back. Damon just slapped his shoulder. When McGee turned to Abby, she still had her arms wrapped around…

"Gibbs!" McGee shouted before hugging the man.

"McGee." Gibbs hugged him back. It was a little difficult because Abby still had not let go of him. When McGee pulled back, Gibbs' face was happy and worried all at once. "Are you limping?"

"Uh yeah…" McGee shot Abby a distressed look. "We should talk…" Gibbs' eyes hardened. "Chris should be in the schoolhouse. He's fine!" McGee pointed to the diner just across the road. "Brynnie's out on a supply run. They left yesterday." He could see Gibbs face fall.

"McGee," Danny spoke up. "Why don't you take everyone into the diner. They can eat and you can catch 'em up. I'll take your patrol."

"Thanks, Danny." Danny gently slapped McGee's back before heading off. The rest of the group around them finally dispersed and McGee led the way to the diner.

"So what's going on? Why are you hurt?" Tony asked once they had all sat down.

"Three days ago…" Tim sighed and looked only at Gibbs. "A group of bikers broke through our bridge patrol. We had gotten careless and only put two people on it. They came up the main road and demanded we give them all our supplies. There were at least twenty bikers and they had two pick up trucks with them. Brynn's uncle Ian warned them that they'd have to fight us for it. One of them just shot him… Right in the head. His oldest son, Sean, ran up and started firing on the group. It was chaos for about fifteen minutes. When it was over, they had killed seventeen of us. We killed all of them." He paused for a minute. When no one said anything he went on. "We siphoned the gas from the bikes. Then they all went into a huge burn pile along with the bikers themselves." Ziva sucked in a breath. "We burned them all near a small town across the bridge. We didn't want it anywhere near us. And the town was already abandoned. We did make use of their little cemetery though… For our people."

"One of them hit you in the leg." Gibbs finally spoke.

"Yeah. Just above my knee. Sean Coleson was also killed. He was sixteen. His little brother, Ty, is in the clinic in the ranger's station. He's fourteen. We are pretty set for antibiotics, but Ty needs major surgery. A shot gun blast got him in his side and nearly tore off his arm. Brynn and a team went to see if they could find a respirator machine and anything else that might help. She's one of the few who knows what to look for. I'd be with her but… She refused to let me go while I'm hurt. I'm on Baby Gibbs duty for now." McGee finally grinned. "Chris has been camping with me in my tent."

"That explains why security wouldn't let us in till they heard Gibbs' name." Tony said.

McGee sighed and stood. "If you guys are done eating, I can get you set up with a room at the Lodge if you want. We can do a tour later too."

"Take me to Chris first." Gibbs stood up.

"Follow me."

NCIS

It was several hours since Gibbs had set foot in the park. He was now back at Brynn's cabin, watching his son sleep. The guest room had two sets of bunk-beds and a tiny closet and dresser. Chris was now on the bottom of one bed and Gibbs was on the other one. Laying on his side, he watched Chris breath deeply as he slept. It had been one hell of a day…

Gibbs and Chris had sat and talked to Ty Coleson for a good two hours. He seemed to be handling the loss of his family fairly well. Gibbs had heard that kids bounced back easier, the younger they were. Ty and Chris talked about playing Dodgeball when Ty got better. Gibbs had looked up at the doctor when Ty said this. The doctor just shook his head and frowned.

Earlier Gibbs had spoken to Danny about moving one of the bunk-beds from the cabin, into the Lodge. There were whole families staying in one room, with some sleeping on the floor. There was really no sense in keeping an unused bed that could go to someone else. Danny was supposed to be on his way here with a truck and a few other guys to help with the lifting. Gibbs had also spied an empty souvenir shop at the end of the main road that was just the right size for a wood shop. Gibbs could get started on making more furniture for those who needed it. There was a whole room full of tools that had been gathered to help rebuild the park for the next winter.

Chris shifted in his sleep. He had so much of Brynn in him. He was always a quiet child. That probably came from Gibbs. But he had so many of Brynn's little habits and quirks, including eating peanut butter out of the jar. His sleeping habits came straight from his mother. Brynn was a tosser-turner. Any little noise or movement brought her wide awake. Which of course, would also wake Gibbs up. The only time either of them got any rest was when Brynn was pregnant. For some reason, pregnancy had caused her to sleep more soundly. Chris moved again and Gibbs tried not to laugh out loud.

Gibbs' eyes shifted from Chris to the old green duffle bag that Gibbs had kept with him on his cross-country trip. It had some clothes, a few bathroom essentials, and four things that Gibbs had refused to part with when he left his house. One was the toy lunch box that had been Kelly's. It still held one of her dolls and several pictures of her and Shannon. The second thing was Chris' baby book. The last two were photo albums that Brynn had put together of the entire family, including Gibbs' NCIS team. Every night that Gibbs had been on the road, he flipped through those albums, reliving Brynn's pregnancy, Chris birth, their wedding, and Chris growing up. It had helped and hurt at the same time. Now, just when he found Chris, Brynn was off hunting for medical equipment. Gibbs wanted to slap himself for not making better time on the road. Just a couple days earlier, and he could have gone with Brynn.

The sound of a truck engine brought both Chris and Gibbs to their feet.

"It's okay, son. You go get in Mommy's bed and sleep." Chris just smiled and hugged Gibbs before leaving the room.

Gibbs stepped out of the cabin and was surprised at how bright it was. The moon wasn't even full, but it was so clear out, it felt like mid-day instead of nine-thirty at night. Danny had brought help, as promised and Gibbs was left standing aside while everyone else worked. After the bed was loaded, the men said farewell. It was then that Gibbs saw the ATV rolling up the trail. McGee was driving with Tony on the back.

"Hey, Gibbs." Tony greeted him after he climbed of the ATV. "How's Chris?"

"He's fine. Sleeping." McGee stood there with a conflicted look on his face. "Something on your mind?" Gibbs asked him.

"There's something I need to tell you. I wanted to get you alone first. No one else knows…" McGee looked at Gibbs shamefully.

"Come on inside."

McGee and Tony both sat on the couch while Gibbs stoked the fire. The large stone fireplace lit up the entire front room. Tony was both curious and cautious. He had not left McGee's side since he had gotten to the park. He knew when something was bothering his lover. And there was a weight crushing down on McGee. Tony reached around McGee and let his arm rest against his back. McGee leaned into the embrace just as Gibbs turned to sit in the chair next to the couch.

"What's on your mind, Tim?" Gibbs finally spoke.

"I think Brynnie's pregnant." McGee slapped his hand against his mouth. Gibbs just stared at him. "I'm sorry, Gibbs. I was gonna be more delicate with it than that."

"Why do you think she's pregnant?" Tony asked. Gibbs was still staring hard at him.

"She started putting on a little weight. I thought it was weird… You know how she doesn't eat if she's worried or depressed." Gibbs nodded. "I hoped that she had just finally snapped out of her funk and was trying to take care of herself better. But she got more grouchy and snappy than usual. She lost her temper over everything."

"I remember her pregnant temper." Tony absently rubbed the back of his head before sliding his arm back around McGee.

"Well, when her stomach got bigger and her mood got worse… I confronted her about it. She said it was just stress. And suggested I back off."

"She didn't want people to treat her like she was weak." Gibbs' low voice cut through the air. "If people knew she was pregnant, they wouldn't let her do anything for herself."

"Why would she risk her pregnancy to run off with a supply team?" Tony asked, almost angry.

"She feels responsible for Ty." McGee looked down as he spoke. "After Ian and Sean were killed, Brynnie made it her personal mission to take care of Ty. And you know how she is…" Tony and Gibbs both nodded. "I'd be with her, but… She refused to let me leave the park when I can barely walk."

"Good." Gibbs spoke again. "You should take it easy." McGee and Tony both gawked at him. "And don't beat yourself up. We all know how damned stubborn that woman can get." Gibbs stood up. "You two bunk here for the night. Don't need you crashing into a tree or something on your way back down the trail. Take the guest room. Chris and I are in the master room." Gibbs left the two men alone.

"You know…" McGee turned towards Tony. "The master room and guest room are on opposite ends of the cabin. And I'm sure you'd like to sleep in a real bed."

"You know me so well." Tony pulled McGee in for a long kiss.


	2. Chapter 2

It was dark in the second bedroom of the cabin. Tony was lying on his side with his back up against the wall. Tim crawled in beside him, smiling. He tried laying on his side so he could face Tony, but his hurt leg wouldn't let him. He grunted and settled on his back. Tony seemed to sense his discomfort and snuggled against his shoulder.

"Does it hurt much?" Tony whispered.

"I can handle it." Tim squirmed and settled again.

"Can they give you anything for it?" Tony's arm found it's way across Tim's waist.

"I've been taking pain relievers. Nothing strong, but it helps. Brynnie has a list of more anti-biotics and pain killers the doc wanted her to grab. I wasn't the only one injured." Tony tightened his grip on him. "Hey," He smiled down at Tony. "I'm okay."

"I should've been here with you." Tony's voice was strained. "I shouldn't have let Gibbs tell me to stay… I should've." Tony felt Tim's hand on his mouth.

"Stop." Tim quietly urged him. His hand moved from Tony's mouth to his cheek. "You needed to stay with Gibbs. He needed you. I knew that, then. I know it, now. You have always been closer to Gibbs. I've always been closer to Brynnie. It made sense for you to stay with him. He needed you to have his six. I knew I'd see you again."

"We only found you cause of the bread crumbs Brynnie left." Tony said, smiling.

"But I _knew_ you would find us. That's why when Abby and I found Brynnie's message at the gas station, we left one of our own. So, stop being mad."

Tony wanted to argue. He wanted to tell Tim how much he had missed him and how angry he was that he got hurt. He needed for Tim to hear how much he meant to him. Tony wanted to say that Tim was his world, and now that they were together again, he felt complete. He was more angry with himself than anyone else. Gibbs was just the easiest scapegoat for his frustration.

"I love you, Tim." Was all that came out.

"I love you too, Tony."

"There's something else you're not telling me." Tony let the silence go on for a few seconds. "I know you, Timmy. You can't hide anything from me."

"It's not you…"

"You're hiding something from Gibbs? You're a brave man."

"He's been through enough."

"Come on, tell me." Tony nudged Tim's shoulder. "Telllllll me."

"Gibbs may have some… Competition."

"No way." Tony almost sat up. "There is no way in hell that Brynnie would ever cheat on." Tim cut him off before he got it out.

"Not like that." Tim took a breath. "There's a guy who's been vying for her affection. She's been telling him to back off. But he's persistent."

"Who is this guy? Does he have a death wish?"

"His name's Alan Pearson. He was an Army Sergeant at Fort Carson. Brynnie told me that as soon as she got there, Pearson latched on to her and wouldn't back down. He kept trying to convince her that Gibbs had probably died and that he would want her to move on."

"She didn't buy that, did she." It wasn't a question. Tony knew better.

"_Hell no_. When Abby and I got here, Brynnie knew Gibbs survived the meteor shower. Pearson still didn't back down. He just changed tactics."

"How so?"

"The guilt trip. He kept on saying things like, 'if Gibbs still loves her, why did he send us instead of coming himself?' Brynnie knew better. Ziva and Damon are important to her too. She was glad Gibbs waited for them. They're family. But this guy wouldn't give up. He crossed the line when he told Chris that he would be his new dad. Brynnie took him aside and told him she'd shoot him if he pulled that again."

"Sounds like our mother bear." Tony chuckled. "No one messes with baby Gibbs."

"When she and the others went out on their search mission, he invited himself along."

"He's with her, now?"

"Yup."

"You're right. Gibbs probably doesn't need to know any of this."

"Yeah. Neither of us needs to end up a dead messenger."

NCIS

It was still dark when Brynn led the way into the crumbling hospital. Her watch told her it would be sunrise soon. She knew their best bet to get what they needed, was to hit a big city. Estes Park and Grand Lake had both been hit hard by marauders. The team went to the Boulder next, in hopes that something, anything, had been left behind. A drive that should have taken less than two hours had been considerably lengthened by all the detours they had to take.

The front entrance of the hospital had sustained the most damage in the shower. Once they got past the debris, Brynn followed the hallway signs to the ICU wing. She had learned from her many stays in hospitals, that most of the equipment they needed was always kept near the ICU patients.

They had almost reached the ICU waiting room, when Brynn heard something that made her stop. She held up her palm out to the five men behind her. Everyone froze. She gave the nearest guy her flashlight, then pulled out her pistol and carefully rounded the corner. There was a rag-tag looking group of around twenty scattered around the waiting area. Four battery powered lanterns set around the group, gave enough light for her to see them clearly. Brynn was moving so quietly that they hadn't noticed her. She quickly scanned the group and saw only three armed men. Then she ducked back around the corner to the men waiting for her.

"Round twenty. Three armed." Her hushed whisper was nearly drowned out by a wail of pain. Brynn and her group all jumped. Alan moved to pass Brynn, but she grabbed him. "I don't think they're hostile." She whispered urgently. "Don't go out there shooting!"

"I promised your son I'd protect you." Alan leaned close to her. She glared and dropped his arm.

"Don't do anything stupid!" Another wail made her jump. Whoever it was, they were definitely male. "One of their's is probably injured. If they feel vulnerable, they're more apt to just shoot us if you threaten them." Alan just shook his head and moved around her.

As soon as Alan and the rest of the group came around the corner there was shouting from both ends. Brynn tried to move in front of her group to calm things down, but Alan pulled her back. She jerked out of his grasp and knew it would leave a bruise.

"Stop, stop, please!" One voice with a distinct accent cut through the air causing Brynn to rush forward and block her group from the others.

"Wait!" Brynn yelled, facing her group. "I know him!" She turned and smiled. "Ducky!"

"Brynn?" Ducky sounded both relieved and astonished to see her. Brynn almost wrapped the shorter man in a hug, but stopped when she looked closer at his clothes.

"Oh, God, Ducky is that _your_ blood?"

"Eh, No…" His face fell. "A man traveling with us was injured. I had to remove a bullet from his stomach. It was rather messy."

"Somebody mind telling me just what the hell is going on?" Alan stepped forward and grabbed Brynn, pulling her back towards him. Ducky immediately glared up at the man.

"Back off, Alan! He's a friend." Brynn twisted her already bruised arm out of his strong hand. She turned her attention back to Ducky. "How long have you been here?"

"Just a few hours. We came here from Fort Carson." He grinned at her. "I found your message."

"Is Gibbs with you?" Again, Ducky's face fell.

"No."

"Brynn." Pete Spicer's voice made her turn. "The supplies?" He reminded her of their mission. She had no idea why they had elected her as their mission leader, but responsibility was nothing new to her.

"Right. Okay. Pete, you and Sullivan go raid the pharmacy." The two men quickly left. "Ducky, do you know where we can find a respirator?"

"Oh, yes. I have Mr. Palmer taking care of our injured man." Brynn smiled at the mention of Jimmy. "I heard the shouting and came to see what was amiss."

"Can you lead these guys," she pointed behind her, "to what we need? We have some injured back at the park that need help."

"Of course, yes."

"I'm staying with you." Alan said to Brynn, firmly. Ducky narrowed his eyes, Brynn rolled hers.

"I can get some of our people to help." Ducky spoke only to Brynn.

"As soon as we get everything loaded, you are all coming back to the park with us." Brynn smiled at Ducky.

"I'm sure everyone appreciates the invitation, but I cannot risk moving my patient. He needs a day or two at least."

"Then I'll stay with you. Everyone else can go on ahead." She turned to glare at Alan. "Maybe you can start _actually_ helping, by getting all these people packed up to leave."

"Okay. But I'm still staying with you when they leave." Alan walked away.

"Who is that man?" Ducky asked. Brynn could see a man walking towards them out of the corner of her eye.

"He wants to be Gibbs' replacement." Brynn ground her teeth. "It hasn't sunk in yet, that Gibbs cannot _be_ replaced_. Ever."_

"Oh, I'm sure it'll sink in once he meets Gibbs." Brynn turned to the man walking towards her, who just spoke.

"Tobias!"

"Hi, Brynn." Ducky moved away from them to go find volunteers to help gather supplies.

"Who else made it out with you?" She saw Tobias' teenage daughter, Emily, standing just behind him.

"Probably not anyone you know. Several are… Were FBI, but no one you've met. Doctor Mallard and his little group found us on the way out of Fort Carson. I knew Gibbs was headed there and it sounded like a good idea to me. Once we got there… Well, like he said, we found your message."

"I figured anyone who knew me, would know where Gibbs and I honeymooned. I didn't want the wrong people finding us." She sighed. "They did anyways. That's why we're here." She shook her head. "What happened to you guys?"

"A group of bikers attacked our convoy. We used to have twice this many with us. They took everything we had and just left us to die. We slowly made our way here. Reggie was the only injured man who survived the trip." Tobias pointed to the room where they had heard the wailing coming from earlier. "Who made it to you? I heard Gibbs sent Abby and McGee to find you."

"They did find me. They're safe." Brynn smiled. "When did you last see Gibbs?"

"The day I left D.C., he was still waiting for Ziva and Damon. I took a detour to get Emily. She'd been staying with Diane's parents in Vermont. We were all headed to the park when we were attacked."

"These bikers that attacked you… They didn't happen to have red skulls on their jackets did they?"

"Yeah. How'd you know?"

"They attacked us at the park. They killed several of ours… Including my uncle and one of my cousins. My other cousin, Ty, got hurt pretty bad."

"I'm sorry. Those assholes have probably been all over the place murdering and God knows what else."

"Not anymore." Tobias cocked his head at her tone. "They've been taken care of."

"All of them?"

"Every single one." She paused for a second. "Ty needs surgery. We have one doctor with us, but we need more equipment before he tries anything. We have a good generator at the park. We only use it to power the little clinic there. Ty's holding on, but if anything were to go wrong…"

"Which is the only reason you'd dare risk your pregnancy to go out and play rescue party." Tobias' eyes went to her stomach.

"I'm already showing that much, am I?" She was wearing Gibbs' black USMC hooded sweatshirt. It was her favorite of his. She was always stealing it out of his side of the closet. She had found it in her luggage when she first arrived in Colorado. In the pocket was a note from Gibbs telling her he wanted her to have a reminder of him to keep her warm. The sweatshirt practically swallowed her, but she had run her hands across her belly enough times to tell Tobias that she was definitely pregnant.

"Does Gibbs know?"

"I didn't even know until well after the shower." She ran her hands across her belly again. "I was hoping to find an ultrasound machine on this mission. There are four other pregnant woman at the park."

"Do you know what one looks like?" Brynn nodded. "Let's go find one." Tobias smiled.

NCIS

The sun was barely poking it's way through the curtains when a strong scent found it's way to McGee's nose. It had been so long since he had smelled this familiar scent. But he knew what it was immediately. He came up out of the bed slowly. Tony groaned but didn't fully wake. McGee had gotten used to sleeping in his tent, so the stiffness didn't bother him anymore. He knew Tony would want a real bed soon enough. Danny had been talking about moving in with Abby. McGee was considering taking the office in the ranger station that Danny now occupied. Now, he had a good reason to. McGee smiled down at Tony before leaving the room.

"Morning." McGee greeted Gibbs when he stepped into the front room. Gibbs just nodded at him and went back to drinking his coffee. The lit fireplace was sending warmth throughout the small cabin. On the coffee table in front of the couch, McGee saw an old-fashioned coffee pot. It was something straight out of the old west. McGee had seen one similar in a movie once. "I guess not even the end of the world can stop you from getting your coffee."

"Nope." Gibbs smiled. "Want a cup?"

"No thanks, I'm good. Where did you even find that thing?"

"I've always had it. I use to use it when I went camping." McGee joined him on the couch. "Is there no coffee maker in this whole park?"

"I doubt it. I don't think anyone knows how to make coffee without electricity." Gibbs chuckled.

"Maybe I ought to take this thing down to that diner."

"I'm sure it'd be appreciated. I doubt anyone here has had anything even resembling coffee in quite a while." There was a beat of silence as Gibbs looked right in McGee's eyes.

"You gonna tell me?"

"What?" McGee straightened.

"What's bugging you."

"I'm worried about Brynnie. Aren't you?"

"Yeah."

"You're doing a good job of keeping it in."

"There's not too much I can do about it. With me gone, I'm sure she felt like she had to be the strong one. But she wouldn't leave Chris unless she had a damn good reason."

"That's true." McGee turned when he heard Tony shuffle into the room. Tony gave them both a sleepy smile and plopped down on the floor, just in front of McGee.

"I owe both of you." Gibbs said after looking at them for a minute.

"For what?" Tony asked. He leaned back until he felt McGee's legs on either side of him.

"I asked you to separate and you did." He set his coffee cup down. "I knew how hard it was on both of you, but you did it anyways. Thank you." Tony turned and sent McGee a surprised look. Gibbs was not a 'thank you' person.

"We'd do it again, Gibbs." McGee said, still looking at Tony. His mind circled back to the conversation they'd had last night.

"Yeah, boss, in a second." As angry as Gibbs knew Tony had been at him, he knew Tony meant that. "We're family. We gotta all watch each other's sixes."

"I miss her." Gibbs looked away. McGee reached out and put a hand on Gibbs' shoulder.

"You'll see her again, soon. Brynn's a fighter. And just as stubborn as you." Gibbs turned and gave him a grateful smile.

NCIS

"Are you absolutely certain?" Ducky stood in the ICU waiting room wearing a set of clean scrubs he had pulled from the linen room. Jimmy, similarly dressed, sat in a chair behind Ducky. Breena, who Brynn had missed seeing among the group earlier, was slumped beside him, sleeping.

"I'm not leaving you guys here with no one to protect you." Brynn held her position, firmly. "I've lost too much already. The others can get the people and supplies back to the park. I'm staying."

"So am I." Alan spoke up. Brynn rolled her eyes for about the eighth time that day.

"I can stay too. You could use an extra gun." Tobias had not left Brynn's side since he saw how this Alan guy acted around her.

"What about Emily?" Brynn's tone went from stubborn to concerned. Tobias pinched his lips together. He hated leaving Brynn alone with this new guy. He didn't trust Alan after the way he saw him man-handle Brynn. And Gibbs would want someone he trusted protecting Brynn. But Emily had been through enough. He couldn't ask her to leave with a bunch of strangers without him. Even Gibbs would understand that.

"Alright." Tobias said, defeated. "But I'm leaving some of my men here with you." He looked directly at Brynn. She nodded. Her eyes told him that she understood his concerns.

"Now, my dear." Ducky turned his full attention to Brynn. Tobias had already left to find his men. "You have a seat so I can get you checked out."

"For what?" Alan butted in.

"This young lady is a very precious friend of mine." Ducky's voice hardened. "Practically my daughter. She is carrying the child of my best friend. I need to know that she is in good health. So _back off."_ Alan's eyes widened. Then he literally backed off.

"Go, Ducky." Brynn muttered as she made her way to the chair next to Breena. Ducky just grinned up at her.

NCIS

It had taken Gibbs, and his new rebuilding team, all morning to clear out the old souvenir shop. It was formally re-christened as the new workshop. One guy had even spray painted 'Gibbs Workshop' on the door. Gibbs had laughed when he saw it. He now had three guys all working on various projects. Chris had insisted on being given a job to do. Gibbs conceded to make Chris his official clerk. Which really only meant that it was Chris' job to go around asking what people needed built. Gibbs knew they could easily find furniture in the surrounding towns, but it might not be safe to send out any more supply parties for a while. And they had already looted everything within a two-day drive.

Tony, Ziva, and Damon had rotated themselves into the patrol duty. McGee had made it a point to give them separate duty stations. No need to let distractions take them away from their work. With three new people, they were able to put more people on the two main watch points: the front entrance at the bridge, and the western patrol that watched the highway leading to the bridge. The western patrol was their early warning system. It was also as far as the little walkie talkies they had could reach because of the mountains.

Danny had found McGee at breakfast and told him he could start moving in to the ranger station any time he wanted. Abby had happily accepted his request to be her new roomie. They had already moved Danny's things, which was just his clothes and some personal items. McGee hadn't asked questions, he just smiled and thanked Danny.

Gibbs, on finding out about Abby's new guy, had taken Danny aside and had a conversation with him. Gibbs didn't take to new people very well. But Danny, he liked. He was almost a perfect cross between McGee's compassionate personality and Tony's cocky sense of humor. It was clear, to anyone who took the time to notice, just how devoted he was to Abby. If Abby was happy, Gibbs would not get in the way.

Gibbs had set himself to work building a small baby crib. It would be a while before Brynn would give birth. But there was another woman who was only a few weeks away from her due date. And in Gibbs' mind, every baby deserved their own crib. This particular woman, Delia, had lost her husband in the meteor shower. Delia reminded Gibbs of Brynn when he first met her. She had that same stronger on the outside, than the inside, thing. Delia was young, but stubborn. She was one of the women who looked after the children in the schoolhouse.

There were twenty-seven children under fifteen in the park. Eight of them had been orphaned in the meteor shower. Another two, other than Ty, had lost their parents in the fire-fight with the bikers. Abby and Delia, along with Beth (a grandmother), the other women who ran the schoolhouse, had adopted responsibility for these children and gave round-the-clock supervision.

Gibbs was measuring out a length of wood when he felt a tug on his jeans. He looked down to see Chris smiling at him.

"Are we going for lunch, Dad?" Gibbs dropped his measuring tape on the work table in front of him.

"Yeah. Let's go see what they got today." He bent down and wrapped his arms around Chris. Then he pulled Chris up and hugged him tightly before leaving his new workshop.

"They killed a deer. It was a big one." Gibbs knew it was actually an elk they had shot down earlier that day. But he didn't have the heart to correct his son just then. "They said they were gonna make jerky with it. I liked it when you made jerky."

"Maybe I can show 'em how I did it."

"Will you show me some day?"

"Yeah, of course. Just like my dad showed me." Chris smiled and hugged Gibbs' neck.

"I missed you lots. Mom did too." They had almost made it to the diner. There was a group already lined up to get food. Gibbs could see Tony, but no McGee. "I'm glad you're here. I didn't want a new daddy." Gibbs stopped in his tracks.

"New daddy?"

"Yeah. Alan said he'd be my new daddy. But I didn't want a new daddy. I wanted you."

"Who's Alan?"

"The other man who likes Mommy." Gibbs' eyes bulged.

"Does Mommy like him?"

"She yells at him a lot."

Gibbs took a second to regain his composure. Brynn yelled at _everyone, _including Gibbs!

"Does she _say_ she likes him?" Gibbs tried to smile. He knew Chris might sense his frustration.

"No. But he's around all the time. I don't think he's nice to her."

"What makes you think that?" Gibbs tried not to growl.

"He grabs her a lot. I don't think she likes it."

"Does she push him away?"

"Sometimes. But he just does it again." Gibbs then made an executive decision to set his son down. Leave it to Brynn to become the object of obsession to the first psycho she meets. He shook his head at the thought. "Are you okay, Daddy?"

"I'm fine." Gibbs knelt down and put his hands on Chris' shoulders. "I'm just worried about your momma. I miss her." He stood up and took Chris' hand. "Lets go get some food."

It was barely an hour later when Gibbs finally saw McGee come back from a patrol with Danny. He had left Chris at the schoolhouse with Delia and Beth. Gibbs watched from the workshop as they both headed into the diner. He waited around for fifteen minutes, giving them time to eat something. Then he headed for the diner.

When he stepped inside, he found the diner nearly empty. Danny and Abby were seated across from McGee. Gibbs hadn't seen Abby come in. Her smiling face made him almost turn and leave. He didn't want to let Abby see him lose his temper. But she might have information that McGee didn't. After all, Abby had always been Brynn's 'girl talk' person. Gibbs took a few deep breaths and joined the little group at their table.

"Hey, Gibbs." Abby greeted him first.

"Hey, Abbs."

"Something wrong?" McGee asked. He knew that look.

"I think you've been hiding something from me." The blush that quickly covered McGee's face confirmed it.

"Uh, like what?" He asked a little too quickly.

"Who is Alan, and where can I find him?" Abby sucked in a breath. Gibbs turned his stare to her.

"Alan?" Danny spoke up. "Alan Pearson?"

"Yeah." McGee caved. "He was stationed at Fort Carson. Uh…"

"Chris said this guy wanted to be his new daddy." Gibbs balled his hands into fists. He worked to keep his voice steady. "And that he grabbed Brynn… More than once."

"He is really grabby with her." Abby leaned onto Danny. "But I don't think he's ever really hurt her."

"Look, Gibbs…" Danny started. Abby tried to pinch him as a warning to stay silent. But he went on. "I've seen him with her. He's like a stalker. Ian was pretty good about protecting her before McGee and Abby got here. But when more and more people started pouring in, Ian got elected head of security. And he had his hands full. As time went on, Alan got more persistent. He went out of his way to constantly be around her. She brushed him off every time."

"He tried to convince her that you were dead." McGee jumped in when he saw Gibbs turning red. "She never gave up on you though. Not for a second. Then he set his sights on Chris." Gibbs moved in his chair but didn't get up.

"What do you mean?" Gibbs demanded.

"He tried to be Mr. Nice Guy with Chris." Abby was the only one who dared answer him. "He would play catch with him, take him for rides on the ATV when Brynnie was on patrol duty, take him fishing. He even offered to show Chris how to use a bow-and-arrow. Brynnie put her foot down and said no."

"Then when he started that 'new daddy' B.S." McGee shook his head as he spoke. "Brynnie flat out threatened to shoot him."

"So where is this guy now?" The other three just looked at each other. "Where?"

"With the team on the supply run." Danny finally answered.

"With Brynn?" Danny only nodded. Gibbs got up and left.

NCIS

"I really don't like leaving that guy here with Brynn." Tobias said to Ducky. The two of them were outside of the hospital watching the last of the supplies being loaded up.

"Yes, I got the impression that he thinks he can win her over by force. Apparently, he doesn't know our Brynn at all." Ducky replied. "Who are these men you are leaving with us?"

"All three are former FBI. Ellis knew Gibbs. Allston and Brewer were both field agents. They're good men. I've told them all to make sure that guy isn't ever left alone with Brynn. They'll keep you all safe."

"Did you see the way he grabbed her? When I examined her, she had bruising on her arm!"

"I'd shoot him, but I don't know how the others would react."

"They seem to follow Brynn's lead more than his."

"Let's hope so. But I did hint to my guys that if they need to shoot him, he probably won't be missed." Ducky and Tobias both smiled.

Pete Spicer led a group down to the basement and liberated the kitchen of all the canned and dry goods they could find. It would go a long way to feeding the new population at the park. They had managed to find several undamaged machines including a respirator, five IV pumps, and an ultrasound machine. Brynn had also suggested they shove as many mattresses as they could onto the trucks. She said it as an afterthought, but as soon as she did, another group went to the linen room and grabbed a load of blankets. Brynn knew they could come back later, but no one seemed to ever want to see this place again.

After some deliberation, and an argument, Jimmy and Breena decided not to go on to the park with the bigger group. Ducky tried to convince him he would be more help to the people there, than to the one patient here. But Jimmy refused to leave Ducky. Breena refused to leave Jimmy. When Tobias and the convoy were gone, they left one panel van and a pick up for Ducky and the others.

Back inside the ICU waiting room, Brynn felt the room spin. She stretched out across two chairs and was almost asleep. She hadn't eaten all day and hadn't slept in nearly 48 hours. Ducky had guessed this during his exam. She had been ordered to eat but all she had on her were three fruit bars. They hadn't helped much. Ducky's group had already scoured the hospital for vending machines. They brought back enough food to feed their group just before Brynn had showed up. The food that was left behind was mostly stale but still edible. Brynn didn't want to have to deal with anything they had to heat up. She had been happy to find a whole box of peanut butter packets. They would at least give some flavor to the crackers they had.

"Brynn." Ducky's voice brought her head up. The room began to spin again. She bristled when the spinning stopped and she saw Alan right next to her. Ducky simply pushed him out of the way and helped Brynn to stand. "You need to lay down on a bed, my dear." He led her into one of the rooms down the hall. "Get as much rest as you need. We won't be going out for a while yet. If you need something, just give a shout. I'll keep the door open." Alan followed close behind. Brynn didn't say a word. She just set her flashlight and gun on the table beside the bed. Her head hit the pillow and she was out.


	3. Chapter 3

It was night when Brynn woke up. She looked at her watch and her eyes widened. Had she really slept _that_ long? She just laid there for several minutes, thinking. She'd had the dream about Gibbs again. It always went the same. He made promises to be there when she woke up… Then when she opened her eyes, he wasn't there.

The urge to pee was the only thing that finally brought her out of the bed. One of the lanterns was on a table, dimly lighting the room. She took note that there were now four men in her room, all slumped over in chairs. She rolled her eyes and made her way to the bathroom. When she came out, she quietly grabbed her gun and flashlight and went into the hall.

"Hey." She called out softly to Jimmy. He had just come out of Reggie's room.

"Hey." He smiled at her.

"How's your patient?"

"Stable, for now. Doctor Mallard was worried about infection more than anything. But I think he's gonna pull through."

"Good. Where's Ducky?"

"Sleeping down the hall." Jimmy paused and deliberated for a few seconds. "Can I ask you a question?" Brynn nodded at him. "Is that guy, Alan, your boyfriend or something?"

"He wishes." Brynn sneered.

"I heard him call you his woman." Brynn's sneer went into a full scowl. "He seems to think he has some claim on you."

"Well, he doesn't. Is that why Tobias felt the need to leave me a protection detail?"

"Yeah." He smiled again when Brynn rolled her eyes.

"He's as bad as Gibbs."

"I can't wait for Gibbs to meet Alan."

"You and me both."

"So, where is your protection detail?"

"Back in my room. Can't wait for them to wake up and find me gone." Brynn chuckled and felt her stomach flip-flop. "Oof… I need food."

"I was just about to get something for me and Breena. Care to join us?"

"Love to."

When Brynn's protection detail finally did wake up, they found Brynn, Jimmy, and Breena in the waiting room. Jimmy had found a small table and the three of them circled chairs around it for their little dinner party.

"Mind if we join you?" Allston asked.

"Not at all." Brynn looked up and smiled.

Allston seemed like a nice guy. He was younger than the other two, only thirty, but he had a good sense of humor that Brynn liked. Brewer was the strong silent type. He was in his forties but looked younger. Ellis was also in his forties. Brynn had never met him before, but he told her Gibbs used to talk about her a lot.

"We left Alice in the room." Allston smirked when he sat down.

"Alice?" Breena asked,

"I think they mean Alan." Jimmy told her, grinning.

"Exactly what orders did Tobias leave you with?" Brynn asked.

"To not let that ass touch you or be alone with you." Allston answered. "I saw they way he grabbed you. What's his deal?"

"He wants what he can't have." Brynn glanced back down the hall, making sure she didn't see Alan. "Asshole can't get a clue."

"Have you just told him you're not interested?" Ellis asked.

"Yes, several times, very bluntly. He won't back down."

"Gibbs know anything about this guy? Cause unless he made some drastic changes since I last saw him…" Ellis trailed off and grinned.

"He doesn't know yet." Brynn's eyes went to the window opposite her.

"So, why Colorado?" Brewer seemed to be the only one who could see Brynn's need for a subject change. "Of all the places to come, why here?"

"Honestly," Brynn shrugged. "This just happened to be where Chris and I were, when the shower hit. I was visiting my uncle and cousins for Christmas. My mom's family was all from here, originally. I spent a few holidays here when I was a kid. Then I came back here for college."

"How did you end up at the state park?" Allston asked.

"After Fort Carson got overrun… People were killing each other left and right. It was bedlam. My uncle, Ian, suggested the park because it was an area he knew. He figured it would be easy to guard and still be able to get what we needed for survival. He was right for the most part. And anyone who knew me would know what my message at Fort Carson meant."

"Thanks for that, by the way." Allston smiled. "When we got there and found the whole place smashed… It was actually pretty devastating. Then we found that sign… Fornell was the only one who knew what it meant. Then we ran into Doc Mallard's little group."

"The next day we got jumped by those bikers." Jimmy pulled Breena close to him as he spoke.

"Well, you won't have to worry about them anymore." Brynn sighed.

"Hey!" Alan's annoyed voice made everyone turn. "How come no one woke me?"

"Didn't realize you needed an alarm clock." Allston smarted off. Alan scowled and pulled a chair towards the group. No one bothered to make room for him. He ended up sitting just behind Brynn and Jimmy.

"There's a gas station a day's drive from the park." Brynn went on like Alan had never interrupted them. "If we have anything for trade, they'll give us gas."

"How do they still have gas?" Jimmy asked.

"I've never asked. Never really wanted to."

"Do they know about the park?"

"Nope. Not from any of us anyways. But we trade with them when we go out on supply runs. We'll need to stop there on the way back." Brynn stopped talking suddenly and grimaced.

"You okay?" Allston leaned towards her. Brynn slapped her hand over her mouth and quickly stood up.

"Make way!" Jimmy shouted as he stood and backed his chair away. Alan used his feet to shove his chair out of her way. Brynn ran into one of the rooms and slammed the door shut. Jimmy turned back to the group. "I thought it was called _morning_ sickness."

NCIS

It was just after lunch when the large convoy came rolling into the main park. Most everyone had gone off to their separate duties around the park. Gibbs was in the workshop. Chris and all the other kids were in the schoolhouse. McGee and Tony were in the ranger station. Tony was napping after spending the early morning on patrol. McGee was relaxing in the outer office, reading an old copy of National Geographic. He jumped up from the desk chair when he heard the trucks rolling in. He threw his magazine down and hobbled over to the door leading to the back room.

"Tony!" He shouted, causing the other man to jerk and sit up. "They're back!" Tony was off the bed in a second.

The two rushed out to find a large group spilling out of five vehicles. Gibbs came out of the workshop just as Tony and McGee reached the group. Pete Spicer found McGee and was about to update him on the situation when a voice yelled out above the rabble.

"Gibbs!"

McGee and Tony turned to see Tobias Fornell, grinning like an idiot. Gibbs went over and greeted him. Pete Spicer followed Tony and McGee over to where Gibbs was standing. Abby suddenly appeared out of nowhere and was hugging Emily.

"Tobias. It's good to see you." Gibbs smiled at his old friend.

"Only thanks to your wife."

"I've been hearing that a lot lately."

"Well, she's one hell of a woman. She asked me to deliver a message."

"You've seen her?" Gibbs went from friendly-casual to get-to-the-point serious.

"Let's find a place to talk." Gibbs nodded and led Tobias back to his workshop.

Tobias gave Gibbs the short version of events leading up to his arrival. McGee, Tony, and Abby were gathered around the workshop. Emily had stayed behind with the rest of the group at the diner. There was a crew working to unload all of the supplies brought in. McGee had left Pete in charge of finding everyone a place to sleep. Ziva and Damon both came into the workshop just as Tobias finished his tale. Gibbs leaned back on the saw horse he had been using as a chair. His back hit the wall behind him.

"She's okay." He muttered, mostly to himself. A small grin played on his lips. "What was her message?"

"Well, it was actually for McGee. She didn't know you would be here." Gibbs waited for him to go on. "She just wanted you all to know that she's okay. And she doesn't want anyone going back for her and the rest of them. They'll get here when they can. She didn't want anyone else putting themselves in danger."

"Stubborn." Tony said to McGee. "Like always."

"That's our momma bear your talking about." Abby said.

"You know, she's pregnant." Tobias said to Gibbs. He nodded and his grin widened. "She looked about five or six months…" Something in Tobias' eyes made Gibbs straighten up.

"What?" His tone wasn't quite demanding, but Tobias knew better than to keep this from Gibbs.

"I know better." Tobias said firmly. "I know Brynn. But there's this guy…"

"Alan Pearson." McGee said it for him.

"Oh, so you know him."

"And I know he's had his eye on my wife. Now, what is it you need to tell me."

"When Doctor Mallard checked Brynn out… He told Pearson that she was pregnant with his best friend's baby. Pearson walked away, but not before I heard him say something…"

"Which was?"

"He muttered, "are you sure it's his?" Then he walked away." Gibbs' eyes sharpened for a second. "But like I said, I know better."

"If this guy's going around insinuating that Brynnie's baby is his…" Tony looked at McGee again. "Would anyone here believe him? I mean, does this guy have friends that would back him up if it came to something bad?"

"You mean something like a standoff between Gibbs and Pearson?" McGee asked.

"Yeah, like that. Whose word would they take?" McGee looked away from Tony before answering.

"I know that before I got here, Pearson was fighting Ian for leadership. Pearson wasn't really anybody important at Fort Carson, but he was left in charge of most of the men who stayed there after the shower hit. From what I've heard, he wasn't much of a leader. That's how Fort Carson fell apart. Ian took control and got everyone out of there. He kinda rescued them, in a way. So a lot of people turned to him instead of Pearson when they got here."

"Bet Pearson didn't like that." Tony let out a low chuckle.

"No, he didn't. By the time I got here, Pearson was just another guy on patrol duty. I think he latched himself on to Brynnie for two reasons. One, he needed to feel like a hero after his failures. He saw this vulnerable and grief stricken woman with a small child. He figured he could be her new man. I guess he didn't realize what a challenge it would be." McGee smirked. "And two, getting on the good side of the new leader's niece might give him an 'in' to be someone important. Everyone here loves Brynnie. They look up to her. When everyone was scattered and unorganized, she was the one who started setting up the schoolhouse and the supply runs. It was Brynnie who organized most of the jobs around here. Ian was really just in charge of the patrols and security."

"She's never had a problem with finding work for people to do." Gibbs said. His mind floated back to when Vance put Brynn in charge of the entire Cyber Crimes office back at NCIS. From then on, Tony decided to call her 'Queen Geek' while they were at work. The nickname had earned him many head-slaps.

"But Pearson does have friends…" McGee's voice jolted Gibbs back to the present. "Not many, but they were all military. And now that Ian's gone…" Gibbs' eyes connected with McGee's.

"He might try to get leadership back." Gibbs said. His eyes were hard. "And he thinks he can influence Brynn."

"I have a bad feeling, Gibbs." McGee admitted. "This guy may even go as far as using threats to get what he wants. He knows Brynnie's biggest weakness is trying to keep her family safe. If she thinks any of us are in danger…"

Gibbs stood up and left the workshop.

No one said a word when Gibbs came trudging into the schoolhouse. Chris was sitting in a circle listening to Beth read out loud. Gibbs picked Chris up and carried him to a far corner.

"Hey, buddy." Gibbs said quietly as he set Chris down. He knelt down and put one hand on Chris' shoulder. "I gotta go away for a little while."

"No." Chris' bottom lip quivered.

"I'm coming right back. I gotta go get your momma."

"Is Mom okay?"

"Yeah, and she's with your uncle Ducky. I'm gonna go get them and bring them all back here."

"Promise?" Chris' eyes (exact replicas of Gibbs' eyes) were as round as saucers.

"I promise." He pulled Chris close and kissed his forehead. "I want you to be good and listen to McGee while I'm gone. I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Kay. I love you, Daddy."

"I love you too."

NCIS

Brynn did her best to ignore the four men following her as she made her way down the hall. She sighed and shook her head.

"I really don't need an armed escort fellas." She called back. "I'm just going for a walk."

"We go where you go." Allston said. Brynn wasn't sure if he was talking to her, or Alan.

"Shouldn't you be resting?" Alan's criticizing tone made her grind her teeth.

"Hard to rest when this kid inside me keeps doing a kata in my stomach." Three of the men behind her laughed.

"Do you know when you're do?" Allston had made his way up to her side.

"Three to four months, I think."

"Wow."

"You married?" She asked him.

"No. I was dating someone but she ended it over six months ago. I always wanted kids though."

"What about you guys?" She glanced over her shoulder.

"Divorced." Was all Brewer said.

"My wife and daughter are with Fornell." Was Ellis's answer. "I wasn't about to leave Jethro Gibbs' wife unprotected. Gibbs might hurt me." Brynn laughed.

"Well, as much as I appreciate the concern, I've never been good at being babysat."

"You know, I think I heard Gibbs mention that once." Ellis was right behind her. He almost bumped her when she stopped walking. "You okay?" He crossed to stand in front of her. She was blinking rapidly and her head bobbed back and forth.

"Yeah… Kinda… Dizzy." Allston reached out and grabbed her left arm. Ellis took her right.

"Come on. Back to bed." Allston said. Brynn just nodded and let them lead her.

NCIS

"Are you sure about this, Gibbs?" Tony did not like this. Gibbs was all set to go find Brynn by himself.

"I'm not gonna ask you to leave McGee again." Gibbs said, throwing his small pack into the back of the jeep.

"Gibbs, I don't think it's a good idea to go alone." Tony almost pleaded with him. McGee just stood there, watching the two men.

"You're staying here, Tony. I need you to help keep this place in line." Giving him a job to do might make him feel better.

"But…" Gibbs turned and glared. Tony looked first to McGee, then to Ziva for back up. Damon stood just behind Ziva.

"Gibbs." Tony smiled when Ziva spoke up. "Take at least one person with you. Any of us would go." Damon nodded.

"Fine." Gibbs knew when to give in. Brynn had taught him well over the years. "I'll take Damon." Damon looked mildly surprised. "He's the only one who won't talk my damn ear off." Gibbs smirked.

NCIS

Brynn opened her eyes and squinted into the semi-darkness. Like so many times before, Gibbs was with her. They were curled up together on the hospital bed. Gibbs smiled when she looked up into his eyes.

"Mmmh. I like it when I dream about you." One of his hands brushed across her cheek as she spoke. His touch felt so real, but Brynn had been disappointed too many times to trust it.

"You're not dreaming. I'm really here."

"You say that every time." She snuggled closer to him. His scent was slightly different. But her mind was only focused on maintaining the dream for as long as possible.

"You must be exhausted if you think you're still asleep." He let out a low chuckle.

"I hope I don't wake up soon." His arms wrapped around her, pulling her closer. "I'll miss you."

"Close your eyes, baby. I'll be here when you open them again."

"You say that every time, too." She let her eyelids drop.

Brynn opened her eyes. She was facing the window. The sunlight made her blink several times. She tried to shift away from the light but something held her from behind. Anger flooded through her as she realized there was an arm wrapped firmly around her.

"Get off of me!" She shouted. "Let go! Get away from me!" She struggled to get out of the strong grasp. She could hear the man grunting. "Get off me!" She gave one last push and stumbled out of the bed. The chair next to the bed was the only thing that kept her from falling to the floor. She turned, ready to strike out at the man who was still trying to hold her.

"Brynn, wait!" She saw was two palms held up, blocking the man's face. Then the hands moved down…

"Gibbs?" Her voice came out weak. She shook her head and squeezed her eyes shut. When she opened them again, he was still standing there.

"Well, yeah. Who did you think?" Before he could finish, the door to the room swung open. Allston, Ellis, and Alan all came charging in. "It's okay." Gibbs turned to them. "She had a nightmare."

"Brynn?" Allston sent her a concerned look. She was still staring, open-mouthed, at Gibbs. She blinked and shook her head again.

"I'm okay." She almost whispered.

"Can you give us a minute?" Gibbs asked as nicely as he could manage. He didn't want to start an argument now. The men nodded and left. But the door stayed open. Gibbs turned back to Brynn. "For the record, you weren't dreaming last night." He grinned. Something inside Brynn snapped and she rushed at Gibbs.

"Oh, God… I'm so glad…" She sniffed and threw her arms around him.

"Oh, baby," he pulled her in. "I'm so glad, too."

"Kiss me. Kiss me so I know you're real. It's the only thing you won't do in my dreams." Her desperate voice was strained with sobs.

Gibbs pulled back just enough to lean his head down. When his lips touched hers, she whimpered. His hands went to her cheeks and the kiss deepened. When he pulled away, tears were falling down her cheeks.

"You're here." Her hands grabbed his shirt, as if to make sure.

"I'm here, baby. I'm right here." He kissed her again.

Somehow, they found their way back onto the bed. They laid there, just staring at each other for several minutes. Gibbs' hand eventually snaked around her and started rubbing the top of her head.

"Don't put me back to sleep." She pleaded. He smiled and stopped rubbing, but kept his hand there.

"You think I'm gonna disappear?"

"It's happened before." She smirked up at him.

"Ducky said you've been sleeping a lot. Seems like you needed it though." Brynn rolled her eyes. She knew a lecture when she heard one.

"How did you find me?"

"Tobias." Brynn's eyes looked confused. "I've been at the park for a couple of days now. We got there just after you left."

"We? Ziva and Tony?"

"Yeah, Damon too. Everyone is okay."

"Ty!" Brynn almost sat up but Gibbs stopped her.

"He's gonna be fine. The doc did the surgery as soon as they got the equipment off the truck. He said Ty won't be able to use one arm very much, but he'll recover. And before you have another panic attack, Chris is fine too." Her body finally relaxed.

"I told Tobias to tell McGee not to send anyone after us." Her eyebrows went up.

"I know." Gibbs smirked. "Did you expect me to listen?"

"Listen, yes. Actually _do_ what I said, no." She paused and laid her head on his shoulder. She tucked one arm under herself and the other stretched across Gibbs. "I missed you so much."

"I missed you too, baby. But I'm here now, and I won't leave your side again." Brynn closed her eyes. They stayed closed so long that Gibbs thought she drifted off again.

"I take it you know all about the attack on the park?" Her eyes were still closed.

"You haven't dealt with it." Gibbs pulled her, until her face was against his chest. "I bet you haven't even let yourself cry yet."

"I've been a little preoccupied."

"You need to let it out."

"It'll be messy."

"I'm not going anywhere."

"Gibbs…" Her eyes opened. "I love you." He could feel her body shaking.

"I love you, Brynn."

She was right. This was going to be messy. He held her tighter when the first loud sobs came out.

Out in the waiting room, the friendly conversation between Allston, Damon, and Ducky suddenly stopped. Brynn's sobbing could be heard all the way down the hall.

"What is he doing in there?" Alan stood and almost went to the door.

"Being a good husband and holding his wife while she grieves." Ducky said from his chair. "She has a lot of anguish built up inside herself. Jethro is the only person who could possibly help her to let it out."

"It sounds like she's being tortured." Alan turned to Ducky.

"Trust me boy, she's already _been _tortured. Now she's on her way to healing."

"Took him long enough to get here." Alan scoffed. Damon shot him a look that told him to shut up.

"But now that he is here," Ducky glared as he spoke. "I suggest you learn to handle disappointment." Ducky stood and went to check on Reggie.

NCIS

"Hey Duck." Ducky turned when he heard Gibbs behind him. It had been over an hour since Brynn's sob-fest.

"Jethro." Ducky went back to checking Reggie's vitals. "What brings you in here?"

"Tobias told me you examined Brynn."

"Yes. I thought it was prudent."

"You find anything I might wanna know about?"

"Other than severe exhaustion, which she has been good about treating…" Ducky straightened up and faced Gibbs. "What exactly did you expect me to find?"

"Physically, she's fine?"

"Yes. I'd say she's at least five months along in her pregnancy, possibly more... Hard to tell because she is so malnourished. Her eating habits could use some improvement. But…" Ducky sighed.

"But?"

"She's been through several severe traumas, one right after the other. Add pregnancy hormones in to the mix and… Well, her state of mind could be… Questionable." Ducky eyed Gibbs suspiciously. "Is there a reason you're asking me this?"

"I'm worried about my wife." Ducky knew better. Gibbs was after something specific.

"Worried about how she's been coping?"

"She hasn't _been _coping. That's the problem."

"Jethro, please tell me you do not suspect Brynn of… Turning to someone else for comfort."

"No." Gibbs quirked a half-grin and shook his head.. "She would never do that."

"Then what are you fishing for?"

"I think Pearson has been trying to mess with her mind. Get her to do what he wants."

"And she was in the perfect vulnerable state to be manipulated." Ducky nodded.

"I'm gonna end up shooting this SOB."

"Do you think that would help Brynn's state of mind?"

"No… She'd blame herself and slip into a depression." Gibbs wanted to hit something. "She's been through enough. I can't do that to her. But she's scared of him. _That_, I don't like."

"Then what do you plan to do?"

"I have no idea." Gibbs turned to leave.

"Jethro." Ducky's voice made him stop. "Tread carefully." Gibbs' brow went up. "Brynn is not the only one with an unstable mind. I honestly believe this young man will not stop his pursuit just because you are back in the picture."

"That pursuit will only lead him to one place."

"Where's that?"

"Up against my fist."

NCIS

Brynn was sitting outside the hospital front entrance enjoying the crisp, early May air.

"Don't worry my little one." She rubbed her belly as she spoke. "Daddy's here now and everything is gonna be okay."

"This a private conversation?" Damon's voice made her turn.

"Not at all." She smiled. Damon sat beside her on the steps.

"I've never been in this area before. Gibbs said you used to live here."

"Yeah. He send you to find me?"

"Nope. Just wanted to give you my congrats." He handed her a gift bag.

"Thanks." She opened it and found a yellow baby blanket, still in it's plastic wrap.

"I found the gift shop and kinda raided it. I figured yellow would be okay for a boy or a girl."

"It's nice, Damon, thank you. I didn't event think about looking for the gift shop. It's probably got a lot of baby things in it."

"I already packed them all up." They sat in silence for a few minutes. "Ziva wants to start trying."

"For a baby?"

"Yeah." He grinned.

"That's awesome."

"Yeah, I'm excited. I think I'm ready."

"Well, she ought to be by now, too. I always thought she'd make a great mom. She has that instinct about her." Damon just nodded in agreement. "Gibbs is worried, isn't he?"

"Truthfully, we all are. That Pearson guy is about two wrong words from getting his face smashed in."

"So, I take it McGee already filled you all in on what's been going on." Her head fell forward.

"You mean about this ass basically stalking you? Yeah. We know all about it." Damon looked behind him to make sure there were no eavesdroppers. "Has he threatened you?"

"Not outright. But it's there, between the lines."

"You know, Gibbs would never let anything happen to you."

"It's Gibbs I'm worried about." She looked up at Damon. "I know he can take care of himself. But… I can't help but be kinda scared." She sighed. "This world is so different. So ugly. I don't really know if I can take it."

"Well, you don't have to do it alone."

"That's really nice to know."

NCIS

Gibbs found Alan in the waiting room looking at an old magazine. Everyone else was scattered around the hospital. Ducky had declared that it was time to leave, so they wanted to scour the hospital for anything else they might need.

"Pearson." Gibbs' voice was calm when he sat across from Alan. "I think it's time you and I had a talk." Alan glared over the top of his magazine.

"I have nothing to say to you."

"Good. Then you can just listen." Alan stayed behind his magazine. "My family is off limits to you." He lowered the magazine slowly. "That's all I'm gonna say on the matter." Gibbs stood and took three steps before Alan spoke up.

"What if they don't _want_ to be off limits to me?" Gibbs stopped and turned.

"What makes you think they don't?" Gibbs raised his eyebrows.

"I may be getting my signals crossed, but I do believe your wife has feelings for me."

"I'd say not only did your signals cross, the collision severely damaged your brain."

NCIS

It was close to noon when Gibbs helped Brynn into the backseat of the jeep. Damon was in the driver's seat next to Allston. Gibbs settled in beside Brynn and wrapped one arm around her.

"We should get to the park by tomorrow night at the latest." Damon's voice cut through the fog surrounding Brynn's mind. She turned to Gibbs and scrunched her face in confusion.

"We're driving non-stop, baby." His lips brushed her ear as he spoke.

"You do realize you are traveling with a pregnant woman?"

"Okay, maybe not _completely_ non-stop."

"Hey," Damon called from the front. "If you do need me to stop, just yell."

"No, I thought I'd just kick the back of your seat really hard." Brynn smarted off.

"I missed your sense of humor." Damon laughed.

"Threatening someone is having a sense of humor?" Allston turned his head to Brynn.

"For her it is." Gibbs said, grinning. Brynn playfully pushed him with her shoulder. It felt so good to be able to joke with his wife again. Seeing her smile made his heart skip.

It was during a quick pit-stop the next morning when Gibbs asked to switch vehicles with Jimmy and Breena. They had been in the small pickup at the back of the caravan. Gibbs wanted to get Brynn alone so they could talk. Now that she'd had her good cry, she would finally open up and talk. Jimmy took the hint and he and Breena got into the jeep.

Once they were back on the road, Gibbs waited for Brynn to speak up first.

"Finally wanted me all to yourself?" She smiled at him. The truck they were in was an older model. The seat was actually one long seat across the length of the cab. Brynn laid down and set her head on Gibbs' thigh.

"I always want you to myself." He let his hand rest on her neck. His fingers gently brushed her skin.

"You want to talk."

"If you're ready."

"I'm guessing by now you've heard at least five versions."

"Yours is the only version I care about." She stayed silent for a minute. "Brynn, no matter what happened… No matter what you think you did wrong."

"I never slept with him." Her voice was hard.

"I never suspected you did."

"Everyone else did. McGee even asked me if…" She shifted slightly. "I guess I can't blame him for thinking it."

"You feel guilty about something. Will you tell me?" His tone was patient.

"When I first got to Fort Carson… He was nice to us. He helped us find a place to sleep. He brought us food. He made advances, but I made it clear that I was waiting for you. I knew you'd come for us. He had been trying to convince me that you were dead. All the reports we were getting, said that the entire eastern seaboard had been decimated. But I refused to accept it. Things got bad… People were killing each other in their sleep for their food. There was constant fighting. When we decided to leave, I wanted you to have a way to find me. So I left you a message." She paused. When the silence stretched on, Gibbs spoke up.

"I found it. I wasn't the only one… You helped a lot of people."

"I knew you were alive when Abby and McGee showed up. They had a whole group with them, so I concentrated on getting everyone settled in. Alan kept pushing for me to give up on you. He even tried making nice with Chris."

"Yeah, I heard about his "new daddy" routine." Gibbs growled.

"Trust me, Chris didn't like it any more than I did." She turned so she was on her back, her face looked up at Gibbs. "After Ian was shot… That's when it happened…" She closed her eyes when he looked down at her. "I…" She slowly sat up and moved to the far end of the seat.

"Brynn, like I said, no matter what you think you did wrong… I love you. That won't change." He reached out to her. She moved until she was beside him. He took her hand and held it, waiting for her to speak again.

"The day before we left for the supply run… I was in the clinic. Gary, the doctor there, knew I was stressing bad. He made me stay in the clinic so he could watch over me. I was in the bed beside Ty… Every time I looked at him… I felt so horrible. I was one of the ones who had been on the bridge patrol. I was keeping my pregnancy a secret at that point…" She sniffed and several tears started falling down her cheeks. "Those bikers just blew right past us. We were barely able to warn everyone…"

"Brynn, that was _not_ your fault." He wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"But I felt like it was…" She angrily rubbed away the tears. "I fell asleep at the clinic. I had the same dream I always have about you. You were holding me in the bed, telling me you'd be there when I woke up… When I did wake up, someone _was_ holding me."

"Pearson?"

"I was so confused." Brynn straightened up and looked out the window. "I was angry, and sad, and just… Lost… I just wanted to be comforted. I was thinking of you and… We were kissing before I knew what was happening. Then it was like, this fog cleared away in my mind. And I shoved him away… I swear, I shoved him away. I wanted it to be you…" When she looked back at him, Gibbs had his eyes on the road. His knuckles had gone white from the tight grip on the wheel. "You're mad." His eyes shot to her.

"Not at you." She could hear his teeth grind.

"But I…"

"No, Brynn. Non of this was your fault." Gibbs worked to keep his voice level. "This guy found you at your absolute lowest, and he took full advantage." Gibbs hit the steering wheel, making Brynn jump. "That's on him, not you." He made himself take a deep breath. "You thought it was him… When you woke up with me and yelled at me to get off you. You thought it was him, didn't you?"

"Yes."

"If he touches you again…" He took another breath.

"I'm more afraid of him trying to eliminate the competition. I would _not_ put it past him. He thought McGee and I had something, and I honestly don't believe it was one of those bikers who shot McGee." Gibbs looked at her in surprise. "Alan made some comments… And he seemed awful damn happy when McGee was too hurt to come with us."

"Does McGee know about this?"

"I warned him. Told him my suspicions… I hope he took me seriously." Brynn swallowed a lump in her throat. "Gibbs… I don't think he's gonna stop. I don't know what to do."

"For once… Just this once, will you please leave it all to me?" He reached over and squeezed her hand. He could see the debate going on in her head. "Please, Brynn. Let me take care of you. Stop forcing yourself to be strong, and just let me protect you."

"You're going to kill him." Her face was suddenly void of emotion.

"I'm kinda hoping it won't come to that. There's been enough blood. But if he forces me… I won't hold back when it comes to protecting my family... All of my family."

"Okay… You've got lead." She laid back down across the seat.

"I'll do whatever it takes to keep you and Chris safe." His hand returned to her neck. "You don't have to worry about anything anymore."

But Brynn _was_ worried.


	4. Chapter 4

Brynn was trapped. Flames licked at her from the walls around her. She fought to move but something held her down. Thrashing in the bed, she became more entangled in the heavy blanket covering her. She froze when she heard Chris screaming for her.

"Brynn…" Gibbs' voice was faint in her ears. She fought harder against the force holding her down. "Brynn! Baby, wake up!"

Wake up?

Brynn opened her eyes and was immediately confused by the darkness surrounding her. Where was the fire? She could still smell the burning wood… She shook her head and realized she was looking right at Gibbs' face.

"The fire? Everything was burning…" Her voice fell away. She turned her head at the sound of wood crackling and saw that she wasn't in her bed. She wasn't even in her room.

"Just a dream, baby." Gibbs was still holding her by the shoulders. "It's okay."

Brynn blinked several times as reality set in. She and Gibbs had decided to camp out in the living room, in front of the fireplace. They had piled up blankets and pillows a safe distance from the fire. Brynn faced the fireplace and the smell of burning wood suddenly made sense. Ty was curled up on the couch, still sleeping. Chris was sitting up in the middle of the makeshift bed, looking at her wide-eyed. When her eyes returned to Gibbs' face, he finally released his grip on her.

"Are you okay, Mommy?" Chris' voice came out, just above a whisper.

"I'm fine…" She took a breath and held her arms out to Chris. He immediately smiled and wrapped his arms around her. "I just had a scary dream."

"I'll hold you, until you go back to sleep, Mommy."

"Can Daddy hold me, too?" Chris pulled back and looked from Brynn to Gibbs.

"Okay." Brynn stifled a laugh at Chris' reluctant tone.

"Gee, thanks." Gibbs muttered, smiling at Chris.

The three of them settled back down onto the blankets. Gibbs was giving Brynn a concerned look. But exhaustion took over and her mind blurred. She closed her eyes…

The next morning, Brynn woke up before everyone and detangled herself from the arms and blankets, holding her in place. The sun was just peeking through the windows, as she shuffled her way into the bathroom. She washed her face with water from the jug they kept in there. When she looked up from the sink, she almost gasped at her own face. She looked beyond rough. Not being able to sleep for more than a few hours at a time had cause dark bags to form under her eyes. She couldn't blame her pregnancy for the lack of sleep. Gibbs would know better.

It was now late August. According to her ultrasound, Brynn's due date fell on the first week of September. Once this had been announced to the entire park, (thanks largely to Abby) it had dispelled all rumors of who the father could be. Since then, Alan had barely said two words to Brynn, or any of her family.

Of course, they were all perfectly okay with this.

But something still stirred in Brynn's mind. And these damn nightmares weren't helping. Brynn sighed at her reflection and closed her eyes. She didn't realize she had stood there for almost two minutes until a pair of strong arms wrapped around her. Brynn didn't flinch or jump. She knew these arms.

"They're getting worse, aren't they, the dreams?"

Brynn opened her eyes warily. By now, in the good light, she knew Gibbs had seen the dark circles around her eyes. She just nodded in response to his question.

"Do you wanna talk about it?"

"I've had bad dreams before." She tried to smile.

"Not about being on fire. That sounds pretty traumatizing." Gibbs knew that along with being slightly claustrophobic, Brynn was also terrified of being trapped in a fire. Though this information had not come to light until the second year of their marriage. Before then, she had only ever confessed to being scared of bees.

"I just hope I didn't scare Chris." Gibbs narrowed his eyes. He knew a deliberate deflection when he heard one.

"I think he's more worried than scared."

"Yet another trait he picked up from you." This time her smile was real. "Would it make you feel better if I talk to Ducky?"

"As long as you're talking, not holding it all in." Gibbs kissed her neck.

"Kay, I'll go by after breakfast."

NCIS

Gibbs was putting the finishing touches on a table when he heard someone clear their throat behind him. He turned and saw Brynn standing there with her hands on her hips. He just raised his eyebrows in question.

"Would you like to know what gender our baby is?"

Gibbs straightened. "Yeah."

"Girl. According to Ducky, a very healthy girl. But I'm telling you, our daughter sure doesn't kick like a girl." Gibbs smiled. "Of course, neither do most of the girls we know…" They both laughed.

"I thought you were gonna talk to Ducky about…" Gibbs stopped when Brynn started moving towards him.

"I did." Her voice was low. "He insisted on giving me a full checkup."

"And?"

"He said the dreams are most likely just delayed stress. But he wanted to make sure it wasn't having a physical affect on me." She paused and smirked. "I just thought I'd come give you the update before you went barging over to the clinic, demanding answers." Gibbs grinned and nodded. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"What do you think about naming our daughter… Caitlin?" Gibbs' eyebrows went up in mild surprise. "I never met Caitlin Todd, but I've heard everybody talk about her. I know she was like a daughter to you. And I like the name." Brynn shrugged. "I was thinking maybe, Caitlin Ann… Maybe, Katie for short?"

"I think that's a beautiful name." Gibbs' voice was thick. He held out his arms and Brynn immediately stepped into the hug.

"On another note," Brynn pulled back. "There asking for volunteers to make another supply run. So the patrol is gonna be tightened up. Timmy wanted me to ask if he can rotate you into the patrol duty, till they get back."

Gibbs smiled. So much had changed in the last few months… McGee and Tony were now in charge of the security in the park. They hadn't campaigned for the job, it was just given to them. Both had taken the responsibility very seriously. Gibbs had proudly watched both of them grow from it. Ziva and Damon, along with all of Fornell's former FBI agents added to the police force, making the entire park feel a lot safer. Only those who knew how to handle weapons were sent out on supply runs. So when they went out, it was up to the rest to fill up the patrol slots.

Brynn had not been overly happy about being sidelined in this duty. But she kept her grumbling to a minimum, knowing she had to think about her baby. She had let herself be transferred to the kitchen, helping to cook and manage supplies. With all the new mouths to feed, they could use all the help they could get. She still kept her SIG and a knife on her at all times, per Gibbs' request. When she wasn't working in the kitchen, she was either at the schoolhouse, or in the workshop with Gibbs.

Gibbs' workshop was busier now that work on the two small hotels had been mostly completed. There was a two story hotel that had been renamed Coleson Place. Brynn had cried when someone just yelled out the name. A lot of people had really loved her uncle. Ty himself, had been asked to paint the name onto the front of the building. The hotel had almost immediately been filled with people who had been living in tents all summer. The other hotel was just a one story building with twenty small rooms. There was still patch work being done to the roof in a few places, but some of the rooms had already been occupied. There were mumblings of naming the small building after Samuel Pratt, another victim of the biker gang shootout. Pratt was a Chaplin from Fort Carson, who had given comfort to those who had lost people in the meteor shower.

"Gibbs?" Gibbs zapped out of his reverie. "Is that a no, to patrol duty?"

"Yes."

"Yes, that's a no, or yes to the duty?"

"Yes to the duty." Gibbs cocked his head. "Why are they sending out a supply run, now?"

"Last chance before the first snowfall. Danny said the snow can settle in as early as mid-September. So we best not take chances. I think they are mostly just looking for fuel and food. There are a few places Danny knows of that we haven't been. Ziva and Damon are going, Timmy, Danny and Tony too. I think Timmy wanted to leave you or Fornell in charge."

"I'll talk to him. I'll patrol the bridge, but I wanna be close just in case." Gibbs reached out and put his hands on the sides of her belly.

"I may not be do for another few weeks."

"I still wanna be close."

"You know how I know, you love me?"

"How?"

"I look like a beached whale, and you still look at me like I'm a Victoria Secret model."

"Those women have nothing on you." He leaned in and kissed her.

Alan Pearson had just passed the workshop on his way to the diner. Through the big glass windows, he could see Gibbs with his hands on Brynn's swollen stomach. He quickly turned away and glared at the gravel beneath him. That should be him. When he looked up again, he saw Tony come out of the ranger station. McGee was right behind him. Both men were carrying backpacks and laughing. Alan grinned. Those idiots were taking their best fighters for what would probably be a week long run. A whole week without Brynn's top guard dogs, constantly surrounding her.

His waiting game had finally paid off.

NCIS

It was the next afternoon when Gibbs' bridge patrol duty finally came around. He had eaten lunch with Brynn, Chris, and Abby just before he left. The little lunch date had almost been ruined by Pearson constantly staring at them, but somehow, Brynn had taken no notice to the bitter man. She was in an unusually chipper mood, do to the fact that she had finally gotten a full night's sleep with no nightmares. Gibbs had been thankful for this, but his gut was still churning. He just couldn't figure out why…

Brynn was working on her second sink load of dishes when she heard the door to the back area creak open. She was happily humming to herself, feeling high from the nice lunch date she had just had. Most of the others who worked in the kitchen were still enjoying or just starting their own lunch breaks. It never occurred to her to look behind her.

A sudden, sharp pain to the back of her head, knocked her unconscious. Rough hands reached out and grabbed her before she fell. Arms wrapped around her and began to drag her towards the backdoor of the diner, far from the view of anyone who could help.

NCIS

"Gibbs!" Gibbs turned towards the person shouting his name. He was surprised he heard it over the roar of the ATV coming down the hill. He recognized Allston from the Redskins jacket he always wore. The ATV came to an abrupt stop and Allston jumped off and immediately ran to Gibbs.

"What's going on?" Gibbs asked when an out of breath Allston reached him.

"Brynn…" Allston heaved in a breath. "She…"

"Is it the baby?" Gibbs grabbed Allston's shoulders.

"No…" Allston violently shook his head. "Gotta come…"

"Let's go!" Gibbs kept hold of Allston and dragged him back to the ATV.

The trip back to the main park was short, thanks to Gibbs' driving. As soon as the vehicle stopped, Fornell came rushing over to Gibbs.

"Brynn's missing," Tobias wasted no time in telling Gibbs.

"What do you mean missing? You just can't find her, or something else?"

"She was washing dishes at the diner, last anyone saw her. There're blood drops on the floor, from the sink to the backdoor. And a broken plate on the floor. Someone surprised her."

"Who?" Gibbs demanded.

"We did a head count… Alan Pearson is also missing."

"That son of a bitch has my wife!"

"Gibbs." Tobias stepped forward and held out one palm. "We think we know where they might be. Someone saw a truck with two people in it, headed up the mountain trail."

"Show me."

NCIS

Brynn's head came up and she felt the world spin. When the spinning stopped, her eyes were able to take in her surroundings. She was sitting with her back to a large tree. A coarse blanket was spread beneath her. A small blue tent was set up, right in front of her. She tried to move towards it, but found that her hands were bound behind her back with what felt like a plastic zip tie.

"It gets dark early, this high up." She whipped her head around and felt the spinning start again. "Sorry about that," Alan finally came into her line of sight. "I didn't know how else to get you out of there quietly." He looked at her with a serene expression.

Brynn fought to stay calm. She had just been kidnapped by a psycho. Great…

"Do you have another blanket?" She asked quietly. He smiled at her simple request and quickly unzipped the opening to the tent. As soon as he went inside, Brynn felt around her waist. Her gun was gone but the small knife she always carried was still tucked inside her kakis, just on her belt line. Alan came back out of the tent and wrapped a blanket around Brynn. "Thank you." She looked up at him. She didn't smile or glare. If she was suddenly too nice to him, he'd suspect something. If she came off as pissed (which she really was) she may not make it out of this alive. And she had to protect her daughter.

"I'll build us a fire. You'll warm up soon." He turned. "I have some wood in the truck." Brynn looked around and saw an old pickup parked off to the side. Someone had to have seen them leaving. Gibbs would be looking for her by now. If she could keep things calm until he got to her…

"Do you have anything to eat?" Alan looked up from the fire pit he was working on.

"Yeah." He smiled. "Let me get this going and I'll get you something." Brynn nodded. If it would be dark soon, a fire would be a perfect homing beacon. Alan hadn't really thought this through. Brynn was actually surprised that she was able to keep her mind so rational.

A sudden cramping pain in her abdomen made her gasp. Alan twisted around and looked at her.

"What?" He asked, suspiciously.

"Just a little cramp." She shook her head, dismissively. "They happen a lot this late in pregnancy." Alan just nodded and went back to working on the fire. Another cramp came and Brynn did her best to bite back the grunt that tried to come out.

"There we go." Alan turned and faced her just as another cramp caused her face to scrunch up in pain. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I just… I just need some food, I think." He nodded and scrambled back to the truck. Brynn quickly got to work, pulling the knife out and flicking it open. She prayed that he didn't hear the snap of the plastic zip tie, just as she freed her hands. She glanced towards the truck, but didn't see Alan. Just as she was about to roll her body to stand up, another pain made her entire middle clench. She saw stars for a few seconds.

"Hey!" Alan's angry voice cut through the air. "How did you get out?" He was rushing towards her. Her only thought, just before he reached her, was her baby.

She still had the knife in one hand. Without hesitating she drove the knife forward. Blood spurted out from his chest and onto Brynn's face and sweater. Somehow his hands wrapped around her throat. She jerked the knife back. Taking more careful aim, she plunged the knife into the side of his neck. More blood poured out all over her faces and arms. After twisting the knife, she pulled her hand away. She used her legs to push him off of her and slowly brought herself to her feet.

She stood over him and watched as he chocked out his last breath. "I was never yours." She whispered, not sure if he heard, but not really caring either way. He closed his eyes. Brynn staggered away.

NCIS

The sun was fully set by the time Gibbs and Fornell found the campsite. Seeing Alan sprawled out with Brynn's knife still stuck in his neck, had both frightened and relieved everyone. Brynn was alive, but where the hell was she?

"Brynn!" Gibbs screamed into the semi-darkness.

"Gibbs!" Fornell ran over to his friend. "There's a blood trail, leading east."

Gibbs pulled out his flashlight and immediately saw the drops of blood, standing out against the heavy forested ground. "I don't get it… Why didn't she take the truck?" Gibbs said just loud enough for the men around him to hear. "It looks like she just wandered off."

"Well, she may have." Ducky was now at his side, also looking at the ground. "Jethro… She just stabbed a man to death. She may be in shock."

This only made Gibbs move faster.

Brynn had no idea where she was going. Her only thought was to get all this damn blood off of herself. Her once gray sweatshirt was splattered with blood and dirt. Her kakis were clinging to her legs, still wet from rolling on the ground. It was just beginning to occur to her that it was a bad idea to be walking around, wet and hungry in the middle of nowhere.

She stopped walking and let her knees give out. As soon as she felt the ground connect with her butt, another cramp made her entire body shudder. She knew these pains. "Don 't worry, little one. Daddy will find us." She put one blood smeared hand on her belly. "Daddy will find us. I just hope it 's before you decide to pop out and say hello."

Brynn fell onto her back. The cold, wet grass tickled the back of her neck.

"Brynn!"

She popped up at the sound of her name being yelled. It wasn't the voice she was hoping for, but it would do for now.

"Over here!" She yelled out. She tried to stand, but the cramps were coming in waves now. "Tobias, I 'm over here!"

"Gibbs, I see her!" Brynn let out a breath and her back hit the ground again. "Over her!" She could see a flashlight being waved at her. "Everyone, over here!"

Then Gibbs blue eyes were bearing down on her. His hands touched her face.

"I 'm right here, baby." His voice was soft but she could sense the angry worry he felt. "Are you hurt? Is any of this blood yours?"

"No... He 's dead."

"I know. We found him." He cut her off before she had to explain more. "Don 't worry, baby. We 're gonna get you back, safe."

"Gibbs." He was about to pick her up, but stopped. "Our daughter is coming." Gibbs' eyes went wide.

"Ducky!"

Brynn closed her eyes.


End file.
